Julien Delval

About the project

Talented painter and illustrator, Julien Delval, is a leading author of distinctive fantasy artwork. This is a rare chance to explore the depths of his talent by helping to bring two luxurious volumes of his work to life. The first presents his most spectacular paintings in detail while the second delves into his countless notebooks, drafts, sketches and studies.

To complement these two volumes there will also be a book of interviews, exclusive to this crowdfunding campaign, featuring some special guests.

The crowdfunding campaign was launched on June 11th and ends on July 9th, 2019.

Why a monograph?

Julien Delval: “A book covering my past work would have been unimaginable 5 years ago. Not for a lack quantity or quality, but because it would have been but a collection of images, a disparate series of professional illustrations without meaning. Of course, there were dreamworlds, sketched visions and monsters knocking at the door, but not anything that I could have defended, nothing that would have come from deeper down or been truly expressive.

When Olivier Souillé and the Daniel Maghen Gallery gave me the opportunity to do these large format personal artbooks I was finally able to free myself from the constraints I’d got used to, doing cover art, playing cards and cartoon strips, and really let myself go. I’m truly grateful for their support and confidence in me.

I’d also like to thank the many editors, graphic designers, illustrators and authors that I have met down the years, while I was learning. It’s thanks to them that I’ve been able to enrich my palette and fill my notebooks with experiences. Being able to work on fantasy worlds like Agone and Ji was a great opportunity to discover the Angels of Chaos and the myriad of creatures that live in floating palaces, enchanted forests or rolling seas. All that fed into my bloodstream and soaked into my brain, which had already been irrigated by classical painting that my friend encouraged me to bring to the fore.

Today, thanks to Franck Achard and Jean-Christophe Caurette, I am very pleased to be able to present this work to you. It represents the preparation and the beginnings of an artistic journey. The road is still long, and I hope to make further stops along the way – to turn back and recall the path taken.

More than one book?

Franck Achard, project artistic director: The time has finally come to journey into the heart of Julien’s work, his world and visions. After all this time, given Julien’s freedom to commit himself almost exclusively to painting without artistic compromise, to only do one book, thick though it is, seemed unsatisfactory to us.

For a number of years, I’ve wanted to present the work of artists like Julien in such a way that enables the discovery of their work. If this campaign is a success we will have the pleasure of putting together a 3 book boxed set.

The first is A Monograph. A showcase of his paintings and illustrations. A selection representing an important period in his work. With many of his pieces being of an imposing size, the book helps discover these works across numerous pages to highlight all the richness and detail found in the originals.

The second book is Studies. Similar to the first book, this volume reveals, in detail, the “machinery” behind each of his visions. Inside you’ll find sketches, studies, composition research, regrets and travel journals.

The third book is Interviews. Exclusive. Four lengthy interviews in the company of artists and friends discussing youth, inspiration, comics, painting, nature, ruins, antiquity, romanticism and the art market. We could have added these interviews to one or other of the two books but we know, from experience, that reading long texts in large artbooks isn’t easy. So we have decided to present them separately in the form of a smaller paperback. Easy to read on the subway without bothering your neighbor, or in bed without suffocating under its weight.

Interviews is offered as an option. This means that you have the option, if the campaign is successful to buy it in addition to your pledge. Rest assured, the price won’t be much. It’s a 224 page book printed in 2 colors on good quality paper, A5 format. We have chosen to offer this as an option rather than as a stretch-goal as its realization requires a significant amount of work: recording the interviews, transcribing them, editing, illustrating and layout. That said, we’ve already recorded and transcribed the interviews. We have anticipated the work needed to finalize the book and get it delivered to you as quickly as possible. An editorial decision that you will certainly understand.”

What else?

If the campaign is a sucess, you will see two new stretch-goals appear. The first of these is a book sleeve or box to slip the books into. Unlike the Interviews book we have decided to offer these to full pledgers through a stretch-goal. If it is a box it will be designed to hold both books plus all other items unlocked through stretch-goals, as well as the Interviews book for those who opt for it.